Slide fastener



March 31, 1942. w. HOFLICH SLIDE FASTENER Filed Sept. 14, 1940 William 0 2127 amt m;

tion taken in connection with the accompa Patented Mar. 31, 1942 UNITED v STATE s PATENT OFFICE v suns res-rams William Hoilich, Albany, Oreg. Application september 14, 1940, Serial No. 356,841' (01. 24-2055) 4 Claims. This invention relates generally to the class of arment fastening devices and pertains particularly to improvements inthe type of fastener known as a slide fastener. 1 I As is, of course, knowmthe slide fastening devices which are in popular usefor closing'garments and the openings of various articles .such

slide of the fastening device and shifting the same as is necessary for the purpose of opening or closing the device. Because of theprovision of this tab which is attached to the. outer face of the as bags, etc., are provided with a pivoted or freely hung tab for facilitating taking ahold upon the fastener slide, it has frequently occurred that,

where the slide is used to close an article of clothing, in shifting the slide for the purpose of closing the same, other articles become caught or jammed between the slide and the interlocking members which theslide brings together, resulting in inconvenience and possibly the tearing of clothing.

The present invention has for its primary object to provide a slide fastener which is designed in such a manner that it is necessary for the person using the same, when shifting 'the slide, to take the slide between the thumb and index fin- 2 along an edge of each of which is secured a ger, thus making it impomble for the user-to catch any part of the clothing between the interlocking members and the slide as the members are shifted into interlocking relation, because of the fact that the fingers are disposed between the edges of the material which the fastener draws together'and they, therefore. function to shift or move aside any portion of the clothing whichinight get in between the members.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved slidefastener designed to plish the above stated result, in which a ovel means is employed for securing or locking the slide in position when it is released from between the fingers, said looking or' fastening means being actuated when the'slide. is taken between the fingers to a position where it releases the interconnected members so as to permit the slide to bereadily shifted for opening or closing the device. 1

The invention will be best understood from a pin ll. l

designates a latch plate which fastener unit as it may be obtained ready for installation in a garment opening orin any other opening which the device is intended to control, such fastener comprising the usual pair of tapes number of locking members 3, whichare in the form of short each having at the end remote from the edge of thetape, a lug and a depression for interlocking connection with corresponding lugs and depressions of the members along the edge of the other tape. The construction and qperation of this interlocking member is well known, therefore, further detailed description of t e same is considered unnecessary.

In accordance with the present invention there is provide a slide body which is indicated'generally by e numeral I. This body consists of theausual. pair of spaced parallel plate members 5 and 6. which are joined together at one end, as indicated at 1, and between which the interlocking members pass when the slidels shifted longitudinally of thefasteningdevice, the inter-.

locking members being in together so as to be arranged in the desired interlocking relation.

The plate I of the slide body is provided adjacent the constricted end of the slide with an aperture land upon the longitudinal center of this plate and in spaced relation with the aperture 8. there are secured or formed a pair of v spaced ears 9 transversely ofwhich extend a pivot The numeral l l is preferably of a size to substantially cover the consideration of the-following detailed descrip- 8 drawing forming part of this specification, with the unde'rstandinghowever, that the invention is not to be confined to any strict conformity with.the-showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from plate 5 in which'the aperture I is formed. This .latchplate has one or more ears I! upon its under side which. position betweenthe ears 9 and are traversed by the pivot pin ll so'that the latching plate is oscillatably supported. uponthe slide plate I. I

At the constricted or forward end of the slide,

t e. latching plate ll isprovided with a'locking' through 1 of the slide with the tongue or prong l3, which is arranged to extend through the aperture 8 when the latching plate is oscillated in one direction. When the prong is projected through the aperture 8, it engages between 9. pair of the interlocked members 8 and thus holds the slide against accidental movement. In order that the prong I3 may be held in securing relation'with the members 3, there is plate ll, so as to effect the oscillation of the :latch plate in a direction to project the prong through the aperture 8. The rear edge of the latching plate II is provided with a flange l5 which extends transversely of the plate and formed across the under side of the slide plate 6 remote from the plate II, is a corresponding flange or rib These flanges l5-l5' assist the user of the device in shifting the same, particularly when moving the slide in a direction to interlock the members 3 so as to close the fastening device.

From the foregoing, it will be readily apparent .that in a slide fastener constructed in accordance with the present invention, it will not be possible to grasp the slide element 4 comfortably in order to shift it for the opening or closing of the fastener without taking theentire slide and the latching plate between two fingers such as the thumb and index finger. In order to do this, one of the fingers will have to be placed inside of the opening and ,thus that finger will operate to push aside any part of a garment which may tend to bulge through the opening and would thus be likely to be caught in the slide as the same is drawn to closed position. It will also be readily seen that in taking the slide between the flngers, pressure may be appl ed thereto so as to oscillate the latching plate II to shift the prong 13 out of engagement with the members 3, thus simultaneously releasing the slide for movement as it is grasped to be shifted.

Because of the fact that the usual hanging tab is eliminated from the slide of the present invention, it will be seen that it will not be possible for any one to shift the slide in any way other than the .way intended and, therefore, the accidental catching of clothing or other bodies in the slide will be positively prevented.

In certain types of slide fasteners such as are at present in use, where a resiliently actuated fastener is employed, when the slide is being shifted for the purpose of closing the fastener, the securing device corresponding to the pin I! of the present invention, drags over the interlocking members 3 and, therefore, is subjected to considerable wear in addition to causing 'wear of the interlocking members. In the present invention, however, it will be noted that when the slide is grasped for the purpose of shifting it in either direction and particularly in shifting it in a direction to close the fastener, the locking point l3 will be held raised or free from contact with the interlocking members 3 and, therefore, no wear occurs either upon the locking pin or upon the interlocking members.

What is claimed is:

1. In a slide fastener of the character employing two rows of interconnected members and a slide body facilitating the interconnection and release if such members, a slide body including a pair of spaced plates joined together to facilitate the slipping of the interconnected embers therebetween, a latching plate disposed in spaced substantially parallel relation with one of the adjacent slide plate and maintaining said prong connected between interconnected members whereby to requirev the compression of the said end of the latching plate toward the slide plate to effect the movement of said prong from the interconnected members to release the prong therefrom.

2. In a slide fastener of the character ineluding a pair of rows of interconnected members, a slide body having a passageway therethrough through which the rows of members slide, the slide body having an opening through one side thereof directed toward the 25. interconnected'members, a plate disposed upon the side of the body having the opening therethrough and lying substantially parallel with the tween a pair of connected members, and spring means interposed between the plate and the body and normally urging the plate to oscillate in a direction to move the other end of the plate away from the body for the projection of the prong throu h the opening;

40 3. In a slide fastener of the type having two rows of interconnectible members and a slide body facilitating connection and disconnection of the members, a latching member disposed upon one side of the slide body and extending lengthwise thereof, means joining said member to the body by which movement of a portion of the member may be effected relative to the body while maintainingat all times the disposition of the member lengthwise of the body, resilient resisting movement of the said portion of the member. toward the body, and means carried by the member remote from said portion for connection between a pair of interconnected members and having such connection maintained by the action of said resilient means, the said last means being shiftedfor disengagement from the interconnected members only by compressing the latching member toward the body against the 0, tension of the resilient means.

4. In a slide fastener of the type having two rows of interconnectible members and a slide body facilitating connection and disconnection of the members, an elongated latching member disposed upon one side of the slide. body and extending lengthwise thereof, a pivot element interposed between the latching member and the adjacent side of the slide body forv the support of the latching member for oscillation on an axis extending transversely of the slide body. and

located' substantially midway between the ends of the latching member, said latching member having an inwardly directed prong extending from one end through an opening in the adjacentside of the slide body for connection between means coupling the member with the body and allel relation with the slide body',-and a spring' interposed between the said other end ofthe latching member and the slide body and resisting the inward movement of the said other end of the latching member for the disengagement of 5 said prong from the connected members.

wnmm nomcn. 

